Courage.

“…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

When you hear the word ‘courage’ what picture comes into your mind?  Often, we may think about soldiers, policemen and fireman; people who risk their lives to defend or protect us.  Is real courage restricted to such acts of heroism that they perform?  One definition of the word Courage reads “the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation.  Courage is acting in spite of fear.  "Physical courage" is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death, while "moral courage" is the ability to act rightly.”

What about a wife and mother who doesn’t give up following their husband’s sudden death or a person with terminal illness or the suicide on-line counselor?  Real courage comes from trusting in God.  The Creole word for courage is “Kouray” and these children who attend the Lutheran school in Dondon have ‘kouray’; much like the rest of the over 65,000 children in Trinity HOPE feeding programs exhibit daily.

Every day their witness is seen by their parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents and neighbors who still may be following the lies of the vodou priest; their Christian witness of the Triune God is seen daily as they confront the lies that have been woven for the past 200 years in Haiti.  Thank you for helping to strengthen their courage, their resolve…their witness.

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Eske ou fret?

“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.  Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:10-13

Living in Central Illinois in 2025 has brought several cold fronts blowing through that the weather experts call ‘Arctic Blasts” and that phrase is very accurate.  The title ‘Èske ou frèt?’ which asks ‘Are you cold’ came to my mind after reading the recent article from Trinity HOPE “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen” that was written by Pastor John Gierke.  I would like to be in the heat of a Haitian kitchen in today.  While thinking about his devotion, I came across this photo of an ice delivery truck along the highway near St. Marc and my thoughts went from ‘cho’ to ‘fret’; from ‘hot’ to ‘cold’.  Has your heart ever been so cold that the heat from a roaring fireplace been unable to begin to slow your shivering?  Yea, I been there.  You probably can attest that fireplaces don't always warm hearts.  No, a cold heart can be warmed only by the fire of the living God.  I was sitting in my recliner during one of the recent Arctic Blasts trying to get toasty and I thanked God for His fire that has never burned down to a pile of embers.  I am leaving you with one short message to close this message.  If your Spiritual Heart is getting cold this winter, put another chapter of God’s Word on the fire daily.  Stay in the Word and increase the prayer time as needed.

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Songs for the saints.

“Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” Psalm 100:2

Dear North American, think about this question and give an honest answer.  Has there ever been a time on Sunday morning when you opened the hymnal and listened to the organ playing the song and you shook your head and said to yourself “I can’t sing this hymn”?  The words “Joyful songs” in the above verse don’t always come from my mouth on Sunday.  There have been times when I just silently read the words and close the hymnal and my eyes and listen to the organ playing notes that sound like a couple of cats rough housing on a keyboard.  How can that possibly please God?

I remember when the LCMS got a new Hymnal that outdated my confirmation hymnal from 1964.  The Liturgy changed and some hymns were removed and other new ones added.  And now it seems that every twenty years a group of educated musicians feel obligated to launch a new Hymnal and I cringe.  My Lutheran reply is always the same; “What was wrong with the old one?”

I enjoy singing praises to my Savior in Church and when I am unable to do that, I wonder if my worship is pleasing to God, because it is certainly not pleasing to me.  My relationship with Christ suffers and the Holy Spirit works to shake my despondent soul.  The devil must be pleased.  Why do I feel that way?  The Spirit-filled saint is a song-filled saint!  Martin Luther wrote many wonderful hymns back in the day.  That warrior of the faith had two basic objectives when he fired the reformation cannon into the sixteenth-century wall of spiritual ignorance.  First, he wanted to give the people a Bible they could read on their own, and second, to give them a hymnal so they could sing on their own.  The Bible we have, and its words we read.  The hymnal we have, but where has the melody gone?

One Sunday last year, after the service, I shared with Pastor Smith that I wasn’t able to sing the sermon hymn.  Back in the day, I used to sing a few times with the Haitian choir in the photo and can read music but I couldn’t sing that sermon hymn in Illinois.  So, I just read the words, closed the hymnal and spent time in prayer with my Savior until the hymn ended.  When I read the above verse, my memory went to a back in the day to a moment while living in Haiti.  I worshipped at Bon Berger Lutheran in Caredeux and their services usually went a few hours because they loved to sing.  Pastor Thomas Bernard and the 175 members of that congregation loved to joyfully and LOUDLY sing.  There were no hymnals in the pews as at that point in time, 65% of Haiti couldn’t read or write.  The congregation had memorized many hymns over the years and those saints knew them by heart.  They had a gas-powered generator, a drum set, an electric guitar and an electric keyboard and their voices were heard from their neighborhood all the way to Paradise.  One of their favorite hymns was “God loves me dearly” that was a German folk tune written by August Ritche.  It was one of Pastor Thomas’ favorite hymns and he would lead the congregation through it three or four times in a row, depending on how loud they sang.  I could sing it in Creole after a few months and I am closing today with the words in English and hope that you will joyfully think about it this week as you hum the tune.

“God loves me dearly, grants me salvation, God loves me dearly, loves even me.  Therefore I'll say again: God loves me dearly, God loves me dearly, loves even me.  I was in slav'ry, sin, death, and darkness; God's love was working to make me free.  Therefore I'll say again: God loves me dearly, God loves me dearly, loves even me.  He sent forth Jesus, my dear Redeemer, he sent forth Jesus and set me free.  Therefore I'll say again: God loves me dearly, God loves me dearly, loves even me.  Jesus, my Savior, himself did offer; Jesus, my Savior, paid all I owed. Therefore I'll say again: God loves me dearly, God loves me dearly, loves even me.  Now I will praise you, O Love eternal; I will praise you all my life long. Therefore I'll say again: God loves me dearly, God loves me dearly, loves even me.”

I’ve come to recognize that souls here in the U.S. sing hymns for an hour and the souls in Haiti joyfully SANG hymns for hours.  God loves each and all of us dearly.

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Holy Communion.

“The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way after supper, he took the cup saying, “This is the new covenant in my blood; do this whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  Now may this true body and blood of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ strengthen and keep you in the true faith until life everlasting.  Amen.”  1 Corinthians 11:23-25

The above verses taken from 1 Corinthians should be very familiar to each of us; in Haiti you will hear the Pastor speak these verses usually in French and sometimes in Haitian Creole.  Receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion in a foreign country really puts the work of the Holy Spirit into a more profound setting; reminds us of our commissioning to “go and make disciples of all nations…”

There is a song written by Carolyn Arends called “They’ll know we are Christians” that has some wonderful lyrics and here are just a few of them;

“We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord.  And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.  And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love.  They will know we are Christians by our love.  We will walk with each other; we will walk hand in hand.  And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land.  And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, they will know we are Christians by our love.”

Hand in hand; the hands in the attached photo belong to a Haitian woman waiting to receive Holy Communion at Bon Berger Eglise Evengelique Lutherienne in Caredeux which is a suburb of Port-au-Prince.  Back in the day while living in Haiti, it was my home congregation.  Where do you suppose her hands have been during her lifetime?  They certainly appear to be filled with much personality, probably have seen their load of trials, the earthquake, political problems, gangs, troubles and prayerfully there were also times of rejoicing.

Look at your hands for a moment, where have they been during your journey on earth?  Have they toiled in the hot sun, done laundry outdoors on a washboard, labored in the garden, changed diapers, mended clothing, repaired equipment and seen moments of rejoicing at the direction of your journey?

Imagine if the photo would have shown the hands of Jesus; where have they been?  His worked with wood, changed water to wine, healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and speech to the dumb, raised the dead and were nailed to the cross for you, me, the Haitian woman in the photo, your family and over 52,000 Trinity HOPE kids.  Christ did it all for us.

When you next prepare to receive Holy Communion and are standing at the foot of the cross with the Body and Blood of our Savior in your hands, take a long hard look at your hands, think about the hands in the photo and then think about how much His hands accomplished for you and how much you have accomplished for Him…we have so much yet to accomplish to further the spreading of the Holy Gospel throughout this world.

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

The lunch program.

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”  Psalm 118:1

Did your school have a hot lunch program?  What are your memories of that noon meal?  I remember sitting down at the table and reciting the “Come” prayer together.  Our Lutheran school in Seward, NE had smiling cooks who placed our food onto our partitioned plastic trays and then we picked up our milk bottles at the end of the line.  There were several children in my school that didn’t like their food to ‘touch’ one another, the green beans should not ‘touch’ the mashed potatoes; I was a ‘mixer’ and enjoyed the blending of the flavors.

We had five different items each day, always something different.  I don’t have any fond memories of the food that I liked, only the stuff that didn’t hit my taste buds with a pleasant note; canned spinach or peas always struck a sour note in the back of my throat.  They were always a magnet for my gag reflex because of their texture, not their flavor.

I don’t recall ever noticing kids in my school ever going to lunch “hungry” but rather it was just another activity of our day.  The majority of us had breakfast and would eat dinner when we got home and probably another something before we went to bed.  Giving thanks for my lunch didn’t really seem that important, it was always there, just like all the other meals.

There are 24 plates of rice and beans on the serving table at Bois Marchand which is on the outskirts on the Northern edge of Gonaives.  These plates are ready to be served to one class of children who didn’t have breakfast and when they get home, there won’t be dinner waiting for them and nothing before they go to bed.  When these kids say their prayer before receiving this blessing, you can tell that this is something that really is important to them.  They will eat every grain of rice and every single bean on their plate this day, tomorrow, next week and next month. 

Is there anything in your North American life that brings you to your knees to give thanks for these days?  Around six dollars will feed the twenty-four children who received this blessing at their Lutheran school in Bois Marchand on this day.  I am sure that six dollars won’t even get you into the door of a China buffet to eat a few trays of food that you probably don’t need, but will prayerfully consider to provide each of these precious lives with the sustenance that they have been waiting for this day and every day.  The board of directors for Trinity HOPE and the children of Bois Marchand thank you for your continued prayers and financial support.

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

How can they be happy?

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-7

I can’t begin to count the number of times people have commented on the bright smiles on the faces of the children in the Trinity HOPE photos.  The smiles are real and too bad you cannot hear their giggling, feel their hugs and fully embrace their appreciation for your gift that provides a pot of food outside their school.

Perhaps their hope is what we really can’t comprehend.  They have a new found hope in Jesus Christ that has protected them from the gangs and conquered the neighborhood vodou priest on the cross and they know that they are saved.  They come to school hungry as they typically have little or nothing to eat for dinner or breakfast and when we take their photo sitting at their desk, they can smell the food and the smiles tell you that there is a special blessing waiting for them.

We have known Jesus for some time, some of us were baptized as infants and have walked with him all our lives and probably take way too much for granted.  We have food, in our cupboards, in our fridge, freezer, pantry, desk, nightstand, automobile and probably even something stashed in a coat pocket.  The wild birds and pesky squirrels in my immediate neighborhood eat better every day than the children in the attached photo attending school in Les Cayes.

It is hard to imagine how something so small from us can mean so much to them.  A little over four dollars will feed these sixteen children in the Southwest corner of Haiti a meal of beans and rice for a day.  Our Triune God feeds His sheep through people like you in His world.  Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support.

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Living history.

“In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.  Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food?  Is not wisdom found among the aged?  Does not long life bring understanding?  “To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.” Job 12:10–13

Last year, I began to intentionally share with my grandkiddo’s, what life was like back in the day of my life when I was their age.  Here and there as a snippet of history made its way into my memory that I either shared it vocally or via text message.  If you notice, I didn’t use the word ‘wisdom’.  I grew up on a farm in eastern Nebraska just north of Ruby in Seward County.  We had electricity, one phone in the house attached to the wall in the kitchen on a party line.  When it rang three times my mom picked it up.  We had indoor plumbing in the kitchen and a sink by the back door that dad used to wash up when he came in the house.  We had an outhouse close to the swing set and it was cold in the winter.  No television or internet; only a radio.  No air conditioning, just a box fan in a window.  Our furnace in the basement burned corncobs, wood and coal.  My parents milked twenty cows two times every day and sold the milk to a dairy.  We didn’t go on a vacation every year.  Once in a while mom and dad would put my sister and me in the back seat of the car and we would drive to the drive-in movie theater on West “O” in Lincoln and watch a movie and eat popcorn.  There were no fast food chains, no pizza, Chinese or Mexican food available.  We ate food from our garden and meat from our farm animals or what dad had brought back from hunting along the creek.  I was born in 1950 and times were different then.  My mom made many of my clothes and cut my hair.

My grandchildren look at me and probably think that I grew up living in the Old Testament.  At times recently, I feel like I did.  Back in the day, when I lived in Haiti, the children in the attached photo lived a life without many of the things that I had on the farm.  Their lives were in many ways were more like what my grandparents’ lives experienced in the 1920’s.  There is one thing that my grandkids and these kids from Haiti, my grandparents, parents, sister and me have in common; we know Jesus, love Him and talk with Him each and every day.

As I grow older it has become more important that my grandkids learn about my lineage, embrace the perceived hardships they experienced and proceed through their lives giving thanks to God for how He has provided, protected and cared for them.  Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today, please take some time to stop and reflect as yet another day gets flipped on your calendar of life.  As you ‘number your days, do you count just years or can you find marks of wisdom in your memories of your living history that were not there when you were younger; yesterday?  Please, take a closer look. You really don't have a lot longer.  And in the time that is left, please prayerfully consider feeding one of these Haitian children a meal prepared through Trinity HOPE.  You will be helping them create a moment in their living history. 

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

I'm feeling much older.

“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4

This winter in Central Illinois has been brutal for me.  I think the weather people should replace the “windchill index” with the phrase “arthritis pain level” as that is what has been smacking my joints in 2025.  These arctic blast fronts moving through have caused my age to increase exponentially to the drop in temperature and pressure and causing me to feel twenty years older than my driver’s license reveals. 

Take a look at the wisdom from Isaiah the Prophet in the above verses and tell me how that applies to you.  Every day I am a day older and another day closer to seeing Jesus face to face.  Physically, my aging body of flesh, blood and arthritis is beginning to hit the brakes.  Going up the stairs is more difficult.  I use a staff much like the one in the photo when I walk down my drive to get my mail.  Not because it is a fashion statement but rather a tool to keep me from falling down.  I prefer to sit more than stand as that is much safer.  There have been more times that I’ve taken Holy Communion in my pew.  Mentally, there are times that I can't remember what I am looking for or names of people that I know.  I see photos from Haiti and can’t recall their names or where they live.  When I look at the staff the Haitian man is holding the thought of where his hand has been crosses my mind; he most certainly has lived a hard life.  Emotionally.  My doctor gave me a wellness survey and one of the first questions was “are you afraid to fall”…duh!

A few more observations about aging.  Sometimes I find myself being more negative, critical, and ornery at times to the point of embarrassing my daughters.  Sometimes, I am reluctant to let those who are younger do things for me that I used to do.  Recently, I felt guilty for not going to church when the temperature was 5 and the windchill was -12.  Sometimes it is just hard to adapt and adjust to just getting old.  What really bothers me is the memory of those days when I was once were so efficient, capable, needed, and fulfilled.  Those were the days…when I could.

Our adult Bible study group at Our Redeemer Lutheran is being led through Genesis by Pastor Andrew Smith.  We’ve been discussing some of God’s patriarchs who were among His choicest possessions.  It seems that they were more effective once they grew old.  None of us who are growing older fails to see that growing old has its difficulties and heartaches.  It does.  As we wake up to yet another day that God has prepared for us, it is important that we don’t only see the hot sands of our desert experience and miss the lovely oases here in Central Illinois, at the end of the staff in Haiti and there where you live.  We need to ask our Heavenly Father to not let us turn the latter part of our journey through this life into an arid, tasteless endurance which makes everyone miserable.  Dear aged brothers and sisters in Christ, please don't forget that God has decided to let you live this long.  Your old age is not a mistake, not an oversight nor an afterthought.  Isn't it about time you and I cooled our tongues and softened our crooked smile with a refreshing drink from the water of God's oasis?  It seems that I’ve been thirsty a long, long time.  Come Lord Jesus…come.  Come with me and let’s feed some school kids in Haiti.

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Eight words from the snake.

“He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.  He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.  He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:9-10

A couple of weeks ago, I read a devotion by Pastor Chuck Swindoll and he shared a story about Ken Stabler who years ago, was one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the history of the Oakland Raiders.  He was a swashbuckler and his nickname was the ‘snake’ because he was as swift and sneaky as a snake in the swamp as he was on the field.  Ken Stabler knew one speed in his life; full throttle, full speed ahead.  He owned a speedboat and it had a sign on its dashboard that warned all passengers; “Get in, sit down, shut up, hang on”.  If you got into his boat, it was full throttle and those eight words meant what they said. 

Those eight words aren’t similar with the above words that David wrote in Psalm 46; “Be still”.  I recently read that Kenya has sent another 200 police officers to Haiti to hopefully increase its efforts to help other police officers to bring an end to the gang led chaos in the streets and neighborhoods of Haiti.  Many of my friends living in Haiti and also here in the U.S. are eager to see that chaos ended now; tomorrow at the latest.  Like Stabler’s words, we want those officers to lead us to action.  Stabler’s words lead to action, David’s words tell us to “Be still” and let God work His plans and then we have eight words from Jesus in Matthew 11:28 that tell us; “Come to me…I will give you rest”.  Eight calm words from David.  Eight restful words from Jesus, who never rushed anywhere.  How unlike those eight panic filled words from the Stabler speedboat!  We must believe that the end to chaos in Haiti will end soon in God’s perfect timing.  Be still.

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

February prayer guide.

We begin our prayer time in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. + Amen.

“I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.”  Martin Luther

‘Adoration’

Exodus 15:1-2; “Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted.  Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.  “The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.  He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”

As you sit reading this, the cold of winter is upon us and we have endured at least one major winter storm thus far here in the Midwest U.S.  There will always be a tomorrow, as that is how our Creator planned it.  Tomorrow; either here in the temporary shelter on this side of Heaven or tomorrow, rejoicing inside our permanent home in Heaven; He is always daily providing for our well-being here and has prepared a place for us in His home on the ‘other side’ of here. 

  A time of ‘Adoration’ to our Heavenly Father.    

·        Please take time to sit and consider how our Triune God comes to us through His ‘WORD’ every day and how He has impacted your life.

·        Think about the provisions, protection and love that surrounds you because of His unfailing love for you.

·        Give thanks for where God has placed you and the gifts that you were given to use for Him along your journey.

 ‘Confession’

Psalm 32:5; “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”  And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

We were born, sinful and unclean, through no fault of our own, but because of the sins of our parents, grandparents…Adam and Eve. 

God sent His only Son to die for our sins. Jesus did everything right while he was here on this earth. He loves you with a love that cannot be measured.  He gave to the world when no thanks were returned to Him.  He healed when there was no hope, and He died without complaint.  Jesus did nothing wrong and everything right; all this for you.  He lived for you and died for you.  Our sins nailed Him to the cross on Calvary and kept Him there until His life on earth had ended.

·        A time of personal confession.

John 3:16-17, 36; “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

Our sins are placed at the base of the cross...His cross, and we give thanks that the times we have fallen short in the eyes of our Heavenly Father have been washed clean and we have been forgiven through the Blood of our Risen Savior Jesus Christ.

 ‘Thanksgiving’

Psalm 107:1-3; “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.  Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story; those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.”

As my earthly age increases, there are more times when I get a nudge of Lutheran Guilt for not giving thanks to my Heavenly Father for all the blessings He continues to pour into and along my journey.  There are times when I have sat and counted my fingers, one by one to help me count those blessings.  Today, will you please indulge me for a moment, and using just your mind and fingers, please do a mental inventory of your kitchen and pantry and count them one by one on your fingers?  Is there an empty shelf in your cupboards to be found?  While being given a ‘tour’ of many rural homes in Haiti that question would have been; are there any shelves in the cupboards with food?  Sadly, we tend to ‘overlook’ God’s providence in our lives each and every day; the devil reminds us that ‘we’ bought the food.  Take just a moment to give thanks for what we have today, what was left in the refrigerator from yesterday and what will be coming into your belly tomorrow.  Give thanks for the Trinity HOPE meal that will be served to a child in a Christian school in Haiti today and tomorrow.

Ephesians 5:1-3; “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” 

Heavenly Father, we come to You now with hearts, minds and words filled with ‘Thanksgiving’.”

·        We give thanks for our Creator, Redeemer and Holy Spirit.

·        We give thanks for having a Savior.

·        We give thanks our providence; monetary, food, clothing and shelter.  As we give of our first fruits may we also give a portion of our best to His children who need the assistance we can provide.

·        We give You thanks for the Haitian children who are not only the prime purpose of Trinity HOPE but also Your missionaries for the present and future generations in Haiti who will bring the true message of Salvation to lives who have never known.

·        We give You thanks for making it possible for us to bringing additional funds into our programs so we can now be feeding over 52,000 children in Christian schools throughout Haiti.

 ‘Supplications’

Our Triune God created everything for us to use for His Glory and we continue to daily receive from His Hand; meeting our needs and sharing with others who are living in challenging and chaos filled times; taking His Light into the darkness of their neighborhoods. 

Genesis 1:29-31; “Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.  They will be yours for food.  And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground; everything that has the breath of life in it, I give every green plant for food.”  And it was so.  God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.  And there was evening, and there was morning; the sixth day.”

Next month, we begin the season of Lent, and recall the passion of our Savior enduring the challenge of taking upon Himself the sins of our world.  Jesus came down from Heaven and gave us His ultimate sacrifice so that we might enjoy eternity with Him in Paradise.  Please spend each and every day of this month to prepare for the reason and importance of the season of Lent.

Heavenly Father, we bring our supplications before You;

·        Heavenly Father, please continue to lead and bless Trinity HOPE with Your loving hand; may we always strive to accomplish Your will.

·        Bless the workers here in the U.S. and in Haiti and give them courage as they face challenges from the evil foe.  Provide them with courage, endurance and love.

·        Heavenly Father, please protect and direct your children to bring peace and stability to the Haitian government and wherever there is unrest in your world.

·        Eternal Father, may we see the signs of Your mighty hands and sense the beginning of the end to the gang fed chaos throughout Haiti.

Lord God, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed.  Make it a Word of power and peace to convert those not yet Your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith.  May Your Word pass from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the lip and from the lip to the life that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You sent it; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.

2 Corinthians 13:11-14; “Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.  Greet one another with a holy kiss.  All the saints send their greetings.  May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

“I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me.  Amen.” Martin Luther

May God go before you to guide you; may His arms be beneath you to support you, around you to protect you and above you to bless you.  And may the blessings of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you always dear sister and brother in Christ,

In His love, Jay Brinkmeyer